(Tioga Center, NY) Fans at Shangri-la II Motor Speedway dressed for, and may have expected, off-road snowmobile races on a cold and windy Saturday night. What they got instead were 3 rapidly-run events on the ½-mile concrete. Trophies went home with John Wilbur (Sportsman Modified), Chris Zacharias (Street Stocks), and Gene Purvis (4 Cylinders).

The 25-lap Pudgie’s Pizza Street Stock event was a runaway for Chris Zacharias, who had the field covered on this night. He and fellow heat race winner, Charlie Sharpsteen, drew positions 1 and 2 for the 25-lap feature. At the drop of the green the pair ran side-by-side into turn 3, when Zacharias emerged as the leader. Jake Snell brought out the first caution with 2 laps in when he spun in 3. That set up a Zacharias/Sharpsteen restart. Again Chris Z prevailed, but just a lap later JR Swansborough spun in turn 4. As the field was slowing down for the caution a left rear trailing arm broke on Lee Sharpsteen’s car, and when it snapped it also broke a rear shock. He slammed on the brakes but hit the turn 1 foam head on. He was ok but the car was not.

On the lap 3 restart C Sharpsteen again watched the Zacharias #71 take control coming off turn 2. As the laps clicked off, the margin between them increased. But behind Sharpsteen another battle developed for 3rd between Glenn Lippolis and Jeff Goodwin. Caution came out for the 3rd and final time for spins by Brad Knapp and Dusty Snell. The final run to the checkered flag encompassed 15 laps, during which Zacharias’ car was a rocket ship. With less than 5 to go Goodwin got around Lippolis, pretty much the only action on the track in the late stages. Zacharias cruised to the win, followed by Sharpsteen, Goodwin, Lippolis and Billy Coyle.

Chris Zacharias custom detailed his winning car in memory of his mother, the late Shirley Zacharias. “Every race I ever won was dedicated to my mother,” he said from Victory Lane. “This one is for Dad, he’s still here with us.” A large contingent of the Zacharias family gathered for his first win since losing the family matriarch in January of this year.

May 18 - Hirschman Opens SL2 Season with RoC Win

Charlie Sharpsteen, Nurmi & Purvis Visit Victory Lane in SL2 Opener

Tioga Center, NY - Matt Hirschman collected the win in the RoC-N-Concrete Rumble at Shangri-La II Motorspeedway on Sunday afternoon. For Hirschman, he is now two for two in 2013 on the RoC Pavement Modified Tour and has let the other competitors know that the drive for a repeat championship is alive and well. Charlie Sharpsteen survived a hard drive in the Pudgies Pizza Street Stocks to claim his second Shangri-La II win, coincidentally both wins came while driving brother Gil's car. Scott Nurmi was the Late Model winner and Gene Purvis took home the Four Cylinder Stock feature.